The spectacular statue of St Michael the Archangel that adorns the tower of St Michael’s Church in Lewes has been reinstated after extensive repair work.   The 2.4m-high work was created by acclaimed British sculptor Harry Phillips who settled in the town in his later years and was a member of the church's congregation. Phillips, who completed numerous large public sculptures in his lifetime, started his career as a wood-carver, furniture-maker, blacksmith and potter. In 1950, he was appointed Head of Sculpture at Leeds College of Art in Leeds and much of his work is now housed in Leeds Museums and Galleries.   The stunning figure of St Michael the Archangel is highly dramatic with the saint suspended in a mid-air pose, arms outstretched with large wings spread behind and a large sword grasped in his right hand. The statue was installed in 1976 and was one of the last works that Phillips completed – he died the same year.   St Michael’s Church applied for a grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust in 2024. The statue had started to crack in a number of areas and there was extensive damage to the right arm and adjoining sword where water had got into the sculpture and was rusting the armature inside. Specialist repairs needed to be undertaken as soon as possible. The Trust does not normally give grants for the restoration of monuments and confines its assistance to essential works to the fabric of places of worship in Sussex. However, on this occasion, the Trustees thought that the dramatic nature of the work and its prominence in the Lewes townscape merited the Trust's support.   Scaffolding was erected and the statue carefully taken down and transported to LS Sculpture Casting in Aylesbury, which has provided specialist moulding and resin casting services for more than 40 years . David Challis said: “We first repaired the surface of the sword and arm to make a mould of it using silicone and fibreglass. This allowed us to cast a brand new arm and sword and we were able to attach this using laminated fibreglass. Fibreglass is just as strong and comes with the benefit of not being able to rust!   “We also cut off the left arm, removed the metal and reattached it using the same method. Other surface cracks and holes were repaired, and we also laminated the back of the wings as we found that these were mostly hollow with numerous holes and it was likely this is where water was getting into the sculpture. Finally, once everything was repaired, we re-patinated the sculpture using chemicals and waxes to achieve the verdigris finish.” The statue was finally reinstated at the beginning of October. Former churchwarden Andrew Smyth said: “We were delighted and very grateful for the Trust’s grant. St Michael’s has no spare money; we normally have to draw on fast dwindling reserves if we cannot get grants and donations for projects. It was a relief that we covered the costs without needing to. We always look to SHCT for financial assistance and it’s invariably a great help.”

Scaffolding that has enshrouded the tower of St Peter’s Church in Brighton has finally come down after more than a decade. The tower of the Grade II* listed building has been a huge concern for years due to eroding masonry and crumbling stone and rust. Often dubbed Brighton’s cathedral, the church one of the city’s most prominent landmarks and is considered one of the finest examples of the pre-Victorian Gothic Revival style. Restoration work has been going on for more than 15 years but it was the latest phase, begun in late 2024, which was partly funded by a £10,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust. Revealed in all its splendour ... the tower of St Peter's, Brighton The most recent phase focused on structural repairs and essential stone replacement, removal of rusting cramps and extensive lime mortar repointing. Additional restoration work, which was identified and completed during the project, included the removal and replacement of external loose rendering around the south door and additional mechanical fixings added to the south parapet stones. Once the restoration work was completed, most of the scaffolding which has encased the church since 2014 could finally be dismantled and the splendid tower revealed once more. At the start of the project, building conservation specialists DBR (Southern) Limited described the building as in an "extremely dilapidated condition", with significant stone erosion and corroding iron cramps which had been exacerbated by the coastal environment. Fundraiser Sara Marsden-King said: “Thanks again for the support of the Trust. The impact of this project has been significant - not only in restoring our Tower but also in engaging our community. We are excited to continue to build on this momentum going forward.” St Peter’s Church was built between 1824-1828 and designed by Sir Charles Barry when he was only 28. He won the commission in a competition and it marked the start of a glittering career. Just ten years later, he was commissioned to design the new Houses of Parliament, the old Palace of Westminster having been destroyed in a fire. As it was ... for more than ten years!

A £6,000 grant awarded to the ancient parish church has helped  to fund a major project to re-tile the entire roof.    St Leonard’s in South Stoke, near Arundel, was built in the 11th century and has been a sacred place for almost a thousand years. Described on Visit Arundel website  as a “hidden gem”, the tiny flint church is situated in one of the most stunning parts of the South Downs National Park overlooking the River Arun. The church has no electricity or water and is lit by dozens of candles for the two regular services every month, along with weddings, baptisms and funerals throughout the year.   For much of its history, St Leonard's stood on its own as a parish church, celebrating the sacraments and preaching the gospel to nearby farm workers and their families. Since the 1920s, however, the parish has been joined with the neighbouring parish church of Arundel and became part of the Benefice of Arundel.    The church’s chronic roof issues came to a head four years ago when damp caused some serious internal plaster falls. It became clear that the only solution was extensive retiling.   Canon David Twinley, Rector at St Leonard, said that the roof had been "patched up, when necessary, over the years" but that an entire re-tile has been necessary since 2021.   As always with roofing projects in old buildings, a bat survey was required and church representatives also met up with experts from AEWC Ltd, an animal ecology and wildlife consultancy. Once St Leonards had acquired the necessary Bat Licence, work got underway in early September, carried out by Lion Roofing of Chichester.    Roof repairs underway at St Leonards, South Stoke Huge progress was made in the early weeks of the project, thanks to clement weather conditions. Now, with the scaffolding down, the work has been expertly completed in time for Christmas. New roof battens have been put in place. Old, damaged and broken tiles have been removed and the completed retiling  special access points for bats.   Both slopes of the Nave and Chancel roofs were re-weathered using salvaged replacement tiles along with new lead flashings. The roofers also installed a new felt underlayer to help provide a second barrier to water ingress and obviating the need for an expensive temporary roof.   The £6,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust went a long way towards meeting the £11,000 shortfall in church funds. The entire project is costing close to £80,000. Churchwarden Colin Stepney said: “The grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust was enormously helpful. We could not have completed the project without it. “Delighted’ understates how we felt and how grateful we are to the Trust. To use an expression from the world of sport, it’s fair to say we were “over the moon!”   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of nearly £100,000 in grants in 2025 including St Mary the Virgin, Warbleton , St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett , St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary the Virgin, Ninfield .     Grant dates for 2026 The grant meetings in 2026 will take place on April 10  and September 18 ; applicants are advised to apply at least two weeks in advance . Please see our Grants  page for more information.

Ride + Stride: church details << Back There will be refreshments and lunches being served along with a selection of stalls in the churchyard. St Michael the Archangel This church is open but not manned The Street Seaford BN26 5RA http://www.alfriston-churches.co.uk/ < Previous Next >

Ride + Stride: church details << Back St Michael and All Angels This church is open Church Lane Hove BN42 4GU http://www.communigate.co.uk/sussex/southwickstmichaels/ < Previous Next >

Click here for other areas Arundel & Bognor Chichester Midhurst Petworth Westbourne Brighton Cuckfield Crawley & East Grinstead Horsham Hove Hurst & Burgess Hill Storrington Worthing Battle & Bexhill Dallington Eastbourne Hastings Lewes Rotherfield Rye Seaford Uckfield Click here for google map or scroll to bottom of page Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel Open/closed status: This church is open High Street RH14 9NP http://www.ukunitarians.org.uk/billingshurst Billingshurst Trinity Open/closed status: This church is open West Street / High Street RH10 4NS We run a Dementia Cafe in the Church Hall once a month which will be open that Sat morning! People welcome to join us for tea/coffee & cake! Will be open 9.30 to 12 30. http://www.billingshursturc.co.uk Billingshurst St Mary Open/closed status: Status unknown East Street / High Street RH14 9PY http://www.stmarys-billingshurst.moonfruit.com/ Broadbridge Heath St John Open/closed status: This church is open Church Road RH12 3LD Will be open and manned from 9am to lunchtime; after that a table with water/cups and a sign-in sheet https://stjohnsbbh.org.uk/ Colgate St Saviour Open/closed status: Status unknown Forest Road RH12 4SZ https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4852/ Horsham Rehoboth Baptist Church Open/closed status: Status unknown RH13 5DU http://www.rehoboth.free-online.co.uk/ Horsham St Mark Open/closed status: Status unknown North Heath Lane RH12 5PJ http://www.stmarkshorsham.com/ Horsham Methodist Church Open/closed status: Status unknown London Road RH12 1AN http://lrmchorsham.org/ Horsham St John the Evangelist Open/closed status: Status unknown Springfield Road RH12 2PJ https://www.stjohnshorsham.com/ Horsham St Mary the Virgin Open/closed status: This church is open The Causeway RH12 1HE http://www.stmaryshorsham.org.uk Horsham Unitarian Open/closed status: This church is open Worthing Road RH12 1SL http://www.horshamunitarians.org.uk Horsham Salvation Army Open/closed status: Status unknown Booth Way RH13 5PZ http://www.horsham.co.uk/salvationarmy/home.htm Horsham Baptist Church Open/closed status: Status unknown Trafalgar Road RH12 2QL http://www.trafroadbc.org.uk/ Horsham St Leonard Open/closed status: This church is open Cambridge Road RH13 5ED Will be open for Ride and Stride between 9am and 12pm http://www.stleonards-church.org.uk Horsham Baptist Church Open/closed status: Status unknown Brighton Road RH13 5BD https://www.brbc-horsham.org.uk/ Horsham United Reformed Church Open/closed status: Status unknown Springfield Road RH12 2RG Horsham Holy Trinity Open/closed status: Status unknown Rushams Road RH12 2NT http://www.holytrinityhorsham.uku.co.uk/ Itchingfield St Nicolas Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Fulfords Hill RH13 0NX Open from 9am to 6pm. http://www.stnicolasitchingfield.org.uk Mannings Heath Good Shepherd Open/closed status: This church is open Church Road RH13 6JE www.nuthurst.org Nuthurst St Andrew Open/closed status: This church is open The Street RH13 6LH www.nuthurst.org Partridge Green St Michael and All Angels Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Church Lane RH13 8JW http://www.westgrinstead.org Roffey All Saints Open/closed status: Status unknown Crawley Road RH12 Roffey St Andrew Open/closed status: Status unknown Crawley Road RH12 4DX Rudgwick Holy Trinity Open/closed status: Status unknown B2128 Church Street RH12 3EB http://www.rudgwickchurch.org.uk Rusper St Mary Magdalene Open/closed status: This church is open High Street RH12 4PX Cake available! https://rusperchurch.org.uk/ Shipley St Mary the Virgin Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Red Lane RH13 8PH Slinfold St Peter Open/closed status: This church is open The Street RH13 0SJ http://www.stpeterslinfold.co.uk Slinfold United Reformed Church Open/closed status: Status unknown The Street RH12 2RG https://horshamurc.org.uk/ Southwater Holy Innocents Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Church Lane RH13 9BT http://www.southwaterchurch.org.uk Warnham St Margaret Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Church Street RH12 3QW West Grinstead Our Lady of Consolation & St Francis Open/closed status: Status unknown Park Lane RH13 8LT West Grinstead St George Open/closed status: Open but not manned off Steyning Road RH13 8LR http://www.westgrinstead.org Horsham map1